Household Level Gender Roles and Empowerment in a Coffee Value Chain in Gomma and Limmu Kossa Districts of Jimma Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Gender is the socially and culturally constructed differences associated with being a man or a woman. For providing the opportunity of substantial economic and income growth in a country, the growing integration of gender issues in a value chain has part. The objective of this study was to analyse intra-household gender roles and empowerment of men and women with in the household and suggesting strategies for addressing gender based constraints of farmers in a coffee value chain. Two-stage stratified and random sampling procedures were employed; and a total of 120 male headed smallholder farmers (where both men and women are present together) from six kebeles were used for intra-household gender analysis. Data were collected from both secondary and primary sources through semi-structured questionnaire, checklists, and focus group discussion. Descriptive gender analysis by Moser gender framework was used to analyse data. The result of gender analysis revealed that women’s and men’s role for coffee business in a household was divided by task. Women undertaken mostly the processing, seedling rising and unpaid community activities as an extension of their reproductive role and are normally unpaid and carried out in their free time. On the other hand, men tend to be associated more with production and marketing roles than in postharvest handling and processing activities. However, it is examined that unlike women’s overall participation in a value chain was highly acknowledged, they still tend to be confined to a relatively less access to and control over resources and benefits earned from coffee business. Therefore, gender inclusive value chain strategies paying attention on women’s empowerment and ensuring gender equality leaving women no worse off were recommended.